Jacob Oulanyah, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament has promised to suspend ministers who absent themselves from the House and yet they appear on the order paper.
A very angry Oulanyah's made the statement on Thursday, at a time when a Member of Parliament was supposed to ask a Minister, but he was absent.
Item number six on the order paper of the day's business, was supposed to be questions for oral answer, which were to be asked by Bulamogi County MP Kenneth Lubogo.
Lubogo was supposed to ask the Minister of Finance which banks the Government partners with for the disbursement of agricultural loans; the amount of money so far disbursed for this purpose; and the category of farmers who qualify for the loans.
Oulanyah called for the Minister of Finance in vain.The Minister, Matia Kasaija, was in the house, but reportedly moved out.
Mukono Municipality MP Betty Bakireke Nambooze was also meant to ask the Minister of Health questions about Uganda's capacity and interventions to Sickle Cell Disease, but this did not happen as the minister was absent.
This prompted Oulanyah to state that he will suspend ministers who are absent in the house when their question time has been listed on the order paper of the day.
Oulanyah assured Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who attempted to defend the absent ministers in vain, that each time MPs raise questions, there should be ministers to respond to the matter.
Prime Minister Rugunda stated that he will ensure that ministers attend parliament. He said the Leader of Government Business will bring this to order as its an embarrassment.
Rugunda said maybe some ministers don't get communication on the order paper in time.
Oulanyah however said all MPs are given copies of the order paper in their parliamentary gadgets and that this should not be an excuse.
